Accounting · head to head
FreeAgent vs Zoho Expense
FreeAgent
Accounting
Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Zoho Expense
Accounting
Expense reporting and travel management at three dollars per user per month
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: FreeAgent introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates; Zoho Expense aI receipt scans are metered per user per month rather than unlimited, so heavy claimants exhaust the allowance and either scan manually or push the organisation to a higher tier.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Zoho Expense actually diverge.
| Attribute | FreeAgent | Zoho Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | Per user per month |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in FreeAgent
Nothing recorded that Zoho Expense does not also cover.
Only in Zoho Expense
- Receipt OCR
- Corporate card reconciliation
- Per diem and mileage
- Approval workflows
- Travel requests and booking
- Policy engine
- Multi currency and multi entity
- Accounting integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
FreeAgent
- Submitting VAT and Self Assessment tax returns to HMRC directlynot Zoho Expense
- Splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automaticallynot Zoho Expense
- Collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and remindersnot Zoho Expense
- Capturing bills and receipts via AI to auto-categorize expensesnot Zoho Expense
- Filing Real Time Information payroll directly to HMRC for employeesnot Zoho Expense
Zoho Expense
- A mid market company replacing spreadsheet expense claims without a five figure annual software budgetnot FreeAgent
- An existing Zoho One customer extending the suite so expense data lands in Zoho Books without integration worknot FreeAgent
- A business with staff travelling across several currencies that needs automatic exchange rate handling on claimsnot FreeAgent
- A services firm rebilling project expenses to clients and needing them coded to projects at the point of claimnot FreeAgent
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
FreeAgent
- Introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates
- All prices exclude 20% VAT
- Add-ons required for some features (Smart Capture Unlimited £5/month, Amazon integration £6/month)
Zoho Expense
- AI receipt scans are metered per user per month rather than unlimited, so heavy claimants exhaust the allowance and either scan manually or push the organisation to a higher tier.
- Zoho Expense does not issue cards, so policy enforcement is retrospective and out of policy spend is caught after the money has left rather than declined at the terminal.
- Additional users who create expenses are billed at the monthly rate rather than the annual rate, which makes a large population of occasional claimants more expensive than the headline three dollars implies.
- Support quality is the recurring complaint across Zoho products, and at three dollars a seat there is no commercial room for the account management that mid market finance teams expect at renewal or during an audit.
- Deep configuration such as complex approval matrices and custom fields is workable but fiddly, and there is no meaningful professional services organisation to hand implementation to.
Pricing, plan by plan
FreeAgent
Free- Sole Traders$9.5/month
- Introductory rate (regular price £19/month)
- Annual option at £95/year (regular £190)
- Landlords$5/month
- Introductory rate (regular price £10/month)
- Annual option at £50/year (regular £100)
- UK Partnerships/LLPs$13.5/month
- Introductory rate (regular price £27/month)
- Annual option at £135/year (regular £270)
- UK Limited Companies$16.5/month
- Introductory rate (regular price £33/month)
- Annual option at £330/year (regular £330)
Zoho Expense
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 3 users
- Receipt capture with limited AI scans
- Basic expense reports
- Standard$3/month
- Billed annually, minimum 3 users
- Corporate card reconciliation
- Approval workflows
- Premium$5/month
- Billed annually
- Travel requests and self booking
- Advanced approvals and policy rules
Which should you pick?
Choose Zoho Expense if
- You need receipt ocr.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want corporate card reconciliation.
Questions people ask
- Is FreeAgent or Zoho Expense better?
- Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Zoho Expense at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Zoho Expense?
- FreeAgent starts at Free and Zoho Expense at Free.
- Does FreeAgent or Zoho Expense run on more platforms?
- FreeAgent runs on Web. Zoho Expense runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use FreeAgent for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is FreeAgent best used for?
- FreeAgent is most often used for submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly, splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically, collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and reminders, capturing bills and receipts via ai to auto-categorize expenses. Of those, submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly and splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically are not what Zoho Expense is typically brought in for.
- What can FreeAgent do that Zoho Expense cannot?
- Zoho Expense covers Receipt OCR, Corporate card reconciliation, Per diem and mileage, Approval workflows.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
FreeAgent: Does FreeAgent offer a free option?
FreeAgent is free for qualifying customers maintaining business accounts with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, or certain Mettle accounts.
SourceZoho Expense: Is the free plan usable in production?
Only for three users. Beyond that you move to Standard, which has a three user minimum anyway.
FreeAgent: What is FreeAgent's pricing for sole traders?
Sole traders pay £9.50/month (50% introductory rate; regular £19/month), or £95/year annually (regular £190/year), excluding 20% VAT.
SourceZoho Expense: Does Zoho Expense issue corporate cards?
No. It reconciles card feeds but does not issue cards, so you need a card programme elsewhere if you want spend blocked before it happens.
FreeAgent: What add-ons does FreeAgent offer?
Optional add-ons include Smart Capture Unlimited at £5/month and Amazon integration at £6/month, allowing customers to extend base plan functionality.
SourceZoho Expense: What is the real cost for a hundred users?
Around three thousand six hundred dollars a year on Standard annual billing, plus higher monthly rates for any additional occasional claimants beyond your licensed count.
FreeAgent: Does FreeAgent offer a trial?
FreeAgent provides a 30-day free trial with no commitment, and customers can cancel at any time during or after the trial period.
SourceRelated pages
More on Zoho Expense
Other head to heads
- FreeAgent vs QuickBooks
- FreeAgent vs Ramp
- FreeAgent vs Airbase
- FreeAgent vs Melio
- FreeAgent vs sevdesk
- FreeAgent vs Money Forward Cloud
- FreeAgent vs Invoice2go
- FreeAgent vs Lexware
- FreeAgent vs Billin
- FreeAgent vs Qonto
- FreeAgent vs Bill.com
- FreeAgent vs Circula
- FreeAgent vs Lago
- FreeAgent vs Metronome
- FreeAgent vs Modern Treasury
- FreeAgent vs Moss
- FreeAgent vs RazorpayX
- FreeAgent vs Sage 50
- FreeAgent vs Expensify
- FreeAgent vs Fyle
- FreeAgent vs Kodo
- FreeAgent vs Rydoo
- FreeAgent vs Happay
- FreeAgent vs SAP Concur
- FreeAgent vs Divvy
- FreeAgent vs Pleo
- FreeAgent vs Spendesk
- FreeAgent vs Ottimate
- FreeAgent vs Pennylane
- FreeAgent vs Recurly
- FreeAgent vs Spendbase
- FreeAgent vs TaxAct
- FreeAgent vs TaxJar
- Zoho Expense vs QuickBooks
- Zoho Expense vs Ramp
- Zoho Expense vs Airbase
- Zoho Expense vs Melio
- Zoho Expense vs sevdesk
- Zoho Expense vs Money Forward Cloud
- Zoho Expense vs Invoice2go
- Zoho Expense vs Lexware
- Zoho Expense vs Billin
- Zoho Expense vs Qonto
- Zoho Expense vs Bill.com
- Zoho Expense vs Circula
- Zoho Expense vs Lago
- Zoho Expense vs Metronome
- Zoho Expense vs Modern Treasury
- Zoho Expense vs Moss
- Zoho Expense vs RazorpayX
- Zoho Expense vs Sage 50
- Zoho Expense vs Expensify
- Zoho Expense vs Fyle
- Zoho Expense vs Kodo
- Zoho Expense vs Rydoo
- Zoho Expense vs Happay
- Zoho Expense vs SAP Concur
- Zoho Expense vs Divvy
- Zoho Expense vs Pleo
- Zoho Expense vs Spendesk
- Zoho Expense vs Ottimate
- Zoho Expense vs Pennylane
- Zoho Expense vs Recurly
- Zoho Expense vs Spendbase
- Zoho Expense vs TaxAct
- Zoho Expense vs TaxJar